Farmworkers are entitled to work up to 60 hours a week under present law. A UFW-backed measure to slash the work day to 40 hours a week will cost workers up to one-third of their income, according to a column in the Sacramento Bee. The union argues that employers will be forced to pay overtime above 40 hours a week, so the extra 20 hours a week on overtime pay is a big gain for farmworkers. That’s very nice, thank…

For the first time in history, lawmakers denounced the ALRB from the Senate floor as a “corrupt” organization. “Unfortunately, the ALRB has turned its back on farm workers and now sees its number-one job as a shill for the UFW,” said Senator Andy Vidak (R-Hanford) during the party-line vote to confirm disgraced ALRB board member Genevieve Shiroma to an unprecedented fourth term. “The ALRB has become corrupt and not helping the people at the bottom of the chain as was…

ALRB-boardmember-for-life Genevieve Shiroma, long accused of bias on the agricultural panel, got a party-line Senate confirmation this week for yet another term. “It’s time for her to retire,” said Senator Tom Berryhill. “She’s been on that board a long time.” Governor Gray Davis first appointed Shiroma in 1999. Headlining the news, the Sacramento Bee called Shiroma “controversial” and cited lawmakers who called her a shill for the UFW. Shiroma got confirmed despite – or perhaps because of – her ties…

The political fact-checker for the Sacramento Bee can’t get his facts right when critiquing an ad campaign against Senator Darrell Steinberg, who is running for mayor of the state capital. Ryan Lillis, who writes for the Bee’s PoliGRAPH feature to determine the truth or falsity of political ads, says that a mailing attacking Steinberg is “misleading” and “false.” Yet he can’t even get the name of a state agency right. Lillis offers no factual evidence to back up his “fact…

UFW Vice President Irv Hershenbaum just provided more proof of why Agricultural Labor Relations Board (ALRB) member Genevieve Shiroma should be disqualified from making any decisions relating to the union. The union boss praised Shiroma’s longtime campaign consultant, Richie Ross, as the UFW’s “best ally.” See the screenshot. Publicizing a recent Sacramento Bee article about Ross on his private Facebook account, Hershenbaum wrote, “Enjoy this article. Nothing but the best for the United Farm Workers and Ritchie Ross is the…

“Because we’re teaching you about lobbying in this class, cheating is OK,” lobbyist Richie Ross told Sacramento State students. “Shortcuts.” Even though the veteran political operative was only making a quip, according to the Sacramento Bee reporter covering the class, Ross was illustrating one of his political trademarks: If you want to get your way, you can’t stoop too low. Ross’s longtime political and financial connections to ALRB board member Genevieve Shiroma have prompted calls for Shiroma to be disqualified from…